Shop Talk
by FlaFan
Summary: Did Dr. Early cross the Fire Department mechanic, or is something else bothering Charlie?
**Shop Talk**

 _Did Dr. Early cross the Fire Department mechanic, or is something else bothering Charlie?_

Dr. Joe Early walked slowly toward the Rampart Emergency bay station. It had been a relatively slow morning. A patient needing stitches, a little girl whose brother had broken the arm off her doll – Joe had bandaged the plastic arm with a smile - and a teenage boy who'd decided it would be a good idea to swallow a few goldfish – not the cracker kind.

As he brought the boy's file to the bay station, he heard Dixie McCall on the telephone.

"OK. We'll be on the lookout for him. Thanks, Johnny." Dixie hung up.

"What's up, Dix?" Joe asked.

Dixie smiled. "That was John Gage. Apparently, you've crossed the mechanic."

Joe frowned. "Beg your pardon?"

"Charlie, the fire department mechanic," Dixie explained. "He found out that you've been tooling around under the hood of Squad 51."

Joe chuckled. "I didn't mean to break any fire department procedures."

Just then, Dr. Kelly Brackett walked up. "What procedures did you break, Joe?"

"Fixing the boys' squad," Dixie said. "The fire department's mechanic is on his way over here."

"Uh-oh," said Kel, trying to suppress a grin.

"There's actually a serious side to it, Kel," Dixie replied. "Johnny said Charlie – that's the mechanic – has been having stomach pains. Treatment Room 3 is ready."

"Thanks, Dix," Joe said.

"Want some assistance – or moral support – Joe?" Kel asked.

Joe laughed. "I think I'm all right, Kel," he said. He looked at Dixie. "I do need a capable nurse, however."

E!E!E!

Charlie poked his head into Treatment Room 3. "Doc?" he asked.

Joe motioned him in. "Come on in – you're Charlie, right?"

"Yeah, Doc." Charlie hesitated. "Uh, thanks for seeing me." He looked at Dixie.

"This is Nurse McCall," Joe said. "I understand you had some concerns about my playing mechanic."

"Uh, yeah," Charlie said, growing a little bolder. "I hear you've been working on 51's squad."

"And you wouldn't play doctor to the people in that emergency room, right?" Joe added for him.

"Uh, exactly, Doc," Charlie agreed. "That's just what I was thinking."

Joe motioned to the table. "Want to talk about it?"

Charlie walked over to the table, but went no further. He turned to Joe. "See, it's like this," he said. "I'm always on the paramedics for what they do to the squads. Some of them take Band-Aids, for Pete's sake, to tape holes in the hose, things like that. It's very annoying, ya know?"

Joe nodded in agreement. "I promise, Charlie, I haven't been using Band-Aids on Squad 51. I just made a tweak when they were having engine problems."

"Yeah, Doc. It's those 'tweaks' that are the problem," Charlie responded.

Joe smiled. "Well, you can blame Mr. Bradford."

"Who?"

"Mr. Bradford." Joe let out a chuckle. "He was my high school shop teacher."

Charlie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Mr. Rialto was mine," he said. "P.S. 71 in the Bronx."

"Mine was Los Angeles High School," Joe said. "Anyway, I might have been a mechanic if I hadn't become a doctor."

In the corner, Dixie rolled her eyes. She knew that musician, not mechanic, would have been a more likely second choice for Joe Early. Joe noticed the eye roll and held back a smile.

Fortunately, Charlie didn't notice. "No kidding, Doc?"

"No kidding," Joe affirmed. "I liked working with cars. And Mr. Bradford helped me along."

"Oh yeah?" Charlie asked. "But how did you become a doctor?"

"Oh, that's another long story for another day," Joe responded. "But Mr. Bradford helped me see how a car can be just like a person – with its own signs of good health and bad."

"Yeah!" Charlie agreed. "That's what I think, too, Doc!"

Joe crossed his arms. "For instance, I think of a carburetor as kind of the intestine of a car. It does kind of the same thing an intestine does in the body."

As Joe spoke, he looked at Dixie, who tried to hold back a smile of her own.

"I like that description, Doc!" Charlie said. His face changed expression. "You know, I feel like my carburetor's been bothering me – or something in the area."

Joe turned serious. "Is your stomach hurting, Charlie?"

Reluctantly, Charlie nodded. "Since Sunday, Doc," he confirmed.

"Can you get up on the table?" Joe asked. His patient complied.

Joe began to examine the mechanic. "What happened Sunday?" he asked.

"Well, my mother-in-law was visiting," Charlie said.

"You don't get along with her?" Joe asked.

"Her? Ah, no problems; she's fine." Charlie waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm lucky, you know; not like a lot of guys."

"That's good," Joe replied. "What did you eat?"

"Eat? Oh, my wife's cooking," Charlie continued. "Great cook."

"Can you lie back?" Joe asked. Charlie did as he asked.

"So what did your wife make?" Joe asked, as he started palpating Charlie's midsection.

"Stuffed lamb!" Charlie responded proudly. "It's a delicacy, a tradition in my family!"

"Sounds good," said Joe, continuing his work. "Any kebab?"

"Oh yeah – OOOH!" Charlie's thoughts on the kebab were interrupted by his cry of pain.

Joe continued his work. "So, Charlie, have you ever had your appendix out?" he asked.

Charlie looked up at the doctor. "No, Doc. Is that what it is?"

"We'll do some tests, of course, to confirm it. We'll have to admit you," Joe said.

Charlie looked worried. "But Doc – all the work! Battalion 14-"

"Will have to do without you for a while," Joe finished for him. He smiled. "I know no other mechanic has your legendary status, but I'm sure they'll do fine."

Charlie sighed, with a grimace of pain. "Yeah….."

"If you want, I can always come in to help," added Joe with a twinkle in his eye.

Charlie started to laugh, but was stopped by another flash of pain. "Funny, Doc. Funny," he managed to say.

E!E!E!

 _Two days later_

John Gage and Roy DeSoto poked their heads into Room 326.

"Hey Charlie!" Johnny called. "How ya doing?"

The mechanic looked over at the door. "Hey fellas," he called back. "Come on in!"

The two paramedics walked over and shook Charlie's hand. "You look much better than the last time we saw you," Roy said.

"Well, I wanna thank you boys for making me come in," Charlie said. "I wasn't sure at first, but…."

Johnny grinned. "Thought we were gonna put a Band-aid on you or something? Like you say we do with the squad?"

Charlie had a mock laugh. "Cute, Gage."

"Glad you're feeling better," Roy interrupted.

"Thanks, De Soto. Yeah, Doc Early got it solved," Charlie said. "I never would've guessed my appendix."

"Glad I did," came a voice from the door. Joe Early walked over to his patient. "How are you, Charlie?"

"Great, Doc. So, when do I get out of here?"

Joe chuckled. "Not so fast, Charlie. You still have a bit of healing to do."

"Oh, I can heal at home, Doc."

Roy looked at Johnny. "He sounds like another Fire Department employee I know," he muttered.

Annoyed, Johnny glanced at his paramedic partner. He pushed the button on the Handi-Talkie. "Squad 51 available," he said, to which Sam Lanier replied, "Squad 51."

Johnny turned to grin at Charlie and Joe. "Sorry, guys, we gotta go. Bye, Charlie. Feel better. See you later, Doc."

A shocked Roy repeated the goodbyes, then turned to Johnny as they exited the room. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"You….you're a regular Bob Hope," Johnny replied. " _'He sounds like another Fire Department employee I know_ ,'" he mimicked Roy as the door closed.

Charlie and Joe chuckled, then the mechanic turned serious. "So when can I get out of here, Doc?"

"It'll be a couple of days more, Charlie. And then some rest at home."

"Well, I gotta admit, I've gotten a little bit of rest," Charlie replied. "At least it'll feel like rest until I see the bill."

Joe chuckled. "Well, my offer to fix some of the Fire Department engines stands," he said.

Charlie thought a moment. "We'll see, Doc," he replied with a grin. "We'll see."

THE END


End file.
